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351:"rust resistant galvanised steel". The Fox's overall length was 3380 mm (133 in), its width was 1540 mm (60.5 in) and it rolled on 155 X 12SR radial tyres. Reliant noted that its 7.62 m (25 ft) turning circle was the same as that of a London taxicab, making it "equally at home making deliveries in city traffic or out on the farm". The Fox handbook gives its unladen weight as 640 kg (1410 lbs).
237:. But in the case of the Fox, a "reverse" course was followed. In the late 1970s MEBEA attempted to develop a "passenger-utility" vehicle, a type then very popular in Greece, as laws allowed such cars to be taxed as "commercial vehicles" at a rate lower than passenger cars. Because of the law, several companies built such vehicles in Greece, including
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78 mph and it was able to attain 60 mpg with the yellow top engine. However, a second website quotes much lower mpg for the Fox. Fuelly.com has compiled information on Foxes driven in real world conditions and found a 1984 model that delivers 37.8 mpg and a 1985 that returns 35.4 mpg. Both vehicles are in regular usage.
284:
After the Fox was no longer being built in Greece, Reliant reused the design for itself instead of shelving it. The UK version had many details changed from the Greek version, with
Reliant reportedly spending £500,000 on modifications for the domestic version. Reliant started producing the Fox in its
392:
The
Reliant Tempest 850 two-seater sports car and the Vantique van were built on Kitten or Fox chassis, as either kit cars or factory-built, after the Kitten and Fox went out of production. Other vehicles built on Kitten/Fox running gear are the Cipher, the Jimp, the Salamander, the Asquith van and
350:
four-speed manual gearbox. The rear axle ration was 4.1:1, which allowed the vehicle to carry a 380 kg (840 lb) payload in a "surprisingly large loadspace" measuring 1180 mm (46.5 in) in length by 1250 mm (49.0 in) in width. The body was "rust free GRP" and the chassis
298:
The car was produced in Greece as the MEBEA Fox beginning in 1979. When the law favouring such "passenger-utility" cars was changed in 1983, sales declined and production ended after about 3000 Foxes had been built. That number may have been "inflated" by the manufacturer, though, as automotive
280:
In order to produce the Fox, however, MEBEA had to deal jump the hurdle of obtaining "type certification". The process was particularly complex for locally developed "passenger cars", but less so for other types of vehicles. Thus, "MEBEA did what other Greek companies had also done": it found a
369:
The UK version of the Fox had a number of modifications from the Greek version, the most noticeable of which was that the front of the vehicle gained a "skirt" for better aerodynamics at speed. Wheels were 12-inches in diameter instead of 10-inches and the brakes had also had some alterations.
337:
The Mebea Fox was created around the
Reliant Kitten chassis and its low weight, glass-fibre body, 10-inch wheels and 145 X 10 tyres helped make it a "fun in the sun vehicle", similar to those made by other manufacturers. Like the Kitten, it used the standard Reliant 848cc engine. The Greek Fox
285:
Tamworth factory in 1983, as an "informal successor" to the Kitten. After UK production ended in 1990, a restyle was planned, using the hatchback from the forthcoming Robin and a front end design similar to that of the
Reliant Metrocab. But this never got further than the drawing board stage.
380:
The yellow top also had more low-end torque and by lowering the Fox's rear axle ratio to 4.1:1, it was able to pull additional weight. Heavier springs and a more robust tie bar on the front suspension were added to make the vehicle more suited to commercial uses. The top speed of the Fox was
281:
partner abroad to obtain type certification, for which the procedure was much easier for vehicles that were already certified in another country. Reliant was the obvious choice and it played a significant role in the final development and certification of the version.
311:, which keeps track of all small four-wheeled Reliants, "Fox production topped the 1000 mark between 1983 and 1988", a number that conflicts with the "just over 600" claimed by The Reliant Motor Club as having been built between 1983 and 1990.
261:
and others. MEBEA, which had already built the Robin under licence, modified the four-wheel chassis of the Kitten to carry greater weight and developed the prototype of the light utility vehicle which would become the Fox, complete with
320:
magazine reported in 2017 that official motor vehicle registration data for 2015 showed just one Fox on the road in the UK, but noted that this figure could be higher as it did not include Foxes on
377:, and which was known as the "yellow top" because of its colour. While still displacing 848cc, it produced 37.5 bhp instead of the 40 bhp from Reliant's standard "red top" engine.
324:(Statutory Off Road Notice). However, another website says that in 2017, UK vehicle registration data showed 37 Foxes licensed for road use and 123 on full- or part-time SORN.
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In 1983, the first year of UK production, the Fox used
Reliant's usual 848cc aluminium inline four-cylinder engine of 40 hp, which drove the rear wheels through an all-
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Beginning in its second year of production, 1984, the Fox used the
Reliant HT-E "economy" engine, as was fitted to the
547:
197:. The Fox could be configured as a pickup with a hard or soft top, an estate car, a van or a convertible, as desired.
189:
The Fox was one of several small four-wheeled economy vehicles produced by
Reliant, a manufacturer well known for its
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Reliant had exported technology and designs to several companies and in several countries, including those of the
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Greek
Vehicle & Machine Manufacturers 1800 to Present: A Pictorial History, 3rd revised edition
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historian Labros S. Skartis writes that the true production number may have been closer to 1000.
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After production ended in Greece, the Fox was built in the UK until 1990. According to the
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178:. It used Reliant's own 848cc aluminium inline four-cylinder engine and a galvanised
749:"Quattroruote, Tutte le Auto del Mondo 1982–1983", Editoriale Domus, Milano (1982) (
16:
Small
English utility vehicle manufactured in 1983–1990 by the Reliant Motor Company
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For the body design, the Fox appears to have been inspired by an
Italian car, the
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The Fox went on sale in the UK in May 1983, after being shown at the 1982
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weighed 521 kg (1146 lbs) and had a rear axle ratio of 3.55:1.
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756:"Daily Express Guide to 1982 World Cars", Motorfair Edition (1981)
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in this book the MEBEA Fox is erroneously presented as "Fox-MEBEA"
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Reliant Tempest 850 two-seater and Vantique are based on the Fox
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358:. Reliant hoped that it would "fill a niche" left by the
548:"Cars with only one example left on the road in the UK"
522:"These are the rarest cars on Britain's roads today"
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314:Relatively few Foxes seem to have survived.
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170:manufactured between 1983 and 1990 by the
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441:. Athens, Greece: Bookstars. p. 55.
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166:is a small four-wheeled glass-fibre
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673:"The Reliant Rialto (1985–1998)"
723:"Literature and Specifications"
520:Ottewell, David (15 May 2015).
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546:Culmer, Kris (7 April 2017).
466:"The Reliant Kitten Register"
598:"Reliant Fox Specifications"
496:"Reliant Fox (UK 1982–1990)"
246:Autokinitoviomihania Ellados
470:The Reliant Kitten Register
437:Skartis, Labros S. (2013).
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209:Rear view of a Reliant Fox
360:British Motor Corporation
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648:"Weight of Reliant Fox?"
273:(which was based on the
907:Raleigh Bicycle Company
309:Reliant Kitten Register
623:"Reliant Fox Brochure"
500:The Reliant Motor Club
393:the Liege sports car.
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182:based on that of the
117:84.5 inches (2146 mm)
125:133 inches (3380 mm)
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141:60 inches (1520 mm)
133:61 inches (1540 mm)
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356:British Motor Show
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217:Reliant Fox camper
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191:three-wheeled cars
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698:"Reliant Fox MPG"
266:reinforced body.
229:(aka The Ant) to
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98:Transmission
46:Manufacturer
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820:Scimitar GT
727:Tempestcars
652:Answers.com
627:Tempestcars
577:Honest John
526:WalesOnline
362:taking the
348:synchromesh
342:Reliant Fox
264:glass-fibre
227:Reliant TW9
201:Development
164:Reliant Fox
151:Predecessor
27:Reliant Fox
922:Categories
732:31 January
707:31 January
702:Fuelly.com
682:30 January
657:28 January
632:27 January
607:30 January
582:28 January
557:27 January
505:27 January
475:27 January
422:27 January
397:References
289:Production
146:Chronology
107:Dimensions
79:Powertrain
56:Production
364:Mini Moke
333:Mebea Fox
113:Wheelbase
59:1983–1990
891:Bond Bug
602:Carfolio
275:Fiat 127
41:Overview
791:Reliant
744:Sources
531:11 July
317:Autocar
180:chassis
172:Reliant
89:848 cc
50:Reliant
884:Others
860:Rialto
850:Kitten
805:Regent
445:
303:The UK
294:Greece
235:Greece
195:trucks
138:Height
122:Length
85:Engine
900:Other
845:Robin
825:Rebel
815:Sabre
810:Regal
240:Namco
231:MEBEA
130:Width
855:FW11
734:2019
709:2019
684:2019
659:2019
634:2019
609:2019
584:2019
559:2019
533:2022
507:2019
477:2019
443:ISBN
424:2019
322:SORN
252:MAVA
225:and
193:and
162:The
865:Fox
835:TW9
830:FW5
277:).
233:in
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
